We're in the U.S. but...

...we aren't getting anywhere very fast. We cleared customs in Atlanta, boarded our plane, sat on our plane, and then got back off of our plane. We're being told that we'll leave at 11pm EST...but we aren't holding our breath.  A part is still being waited on. Not surprisingly, the crew is reading, playing card games with lots of laughter, grabbing dinner, and not whining. Hope to see you soon!

Dwelling in the Word

Each night of our trip we have been dwelling in God’s Word. We read Luke 10:1-11 and listen to where God is speaking through a word, phrase or image from the passage that grabs our attention or sparks a memory or insight about our day’s work. We invite you to dwell in this passage today with us. Read it aloud twice, either by yourself or with others. Listen for that word or phrase that grabs your attention and see where God is speaking into your life.

As we have spent time in this passage the reflections about where God is at and how God is working has become deeper and richer each day. I have been humbled by our young people’s ability and desire to follow Jesus. It has been amazing to listen to the ways they have seen God at work among us, often through the children we have come to serve. We want to share some of the insights that our young people heard God speak about tonight.

In order for us to work with other people, we need to extend peace to the people first. I feel like I did that with the kids at Robin’s Nest and the kids who live around there. I could feel the peace when we got to Robin’s Nest. But today, I’m not sure if I was being selfish or what, but I don’t think that I gave this new group the chance to receive the peace and it was harder to know whether they received the peace as well. I think I might have missed out on something today.”

"Jesus says, ‘Don’t carry a purse or bag when you go to do his work.’ I’ve been thinking how we brought all this luggage to the airport and had to take some stuff out of some bags so that we would make them weigh less than 50 lbs. All we really need to bring is ourselves and our love.”

On that same verse another youth said, “If we carry too much stuff with us, we won’t be able to receive the hospitality others give us.”

We have learned this week that doing God’s work with our hands is just as much about being open to where God is already at as it is about what we bring with us. We are looking forward to coming home and seeing where Jesus is already at in our own neighborhoods and meeting him there.

Pastor Jason

what a gift

What a gift...thanks Zumbro for giving us the opportunity to take our young people outside of the country to experience God's creation in a foreign land. It's hard to be away from our own children and spouses (really hard, some days), but it's an amazing experience to be able to partner in life-changing ministry with such amazing people. jason & lisa

our highlights thus far

Many nights at the end of the day we'll share our highs and lows...the best and worst parts of our day. This evening we shared our highs and lows thus far on the trip. Since not all in the group are blogging, I wanted to give you a window into their experience...so I took good notes. :) Here are our highlights thus far...

Alex H. – The kid that really knew how to push buttons was actually sad when we were leaving, and he came up to me to say good-bye and said that he was sorry we were leaving.

Alex O. –Toward the end of the week, Lou and I made a handshake…and it felt like I connected with him.

Sam A-P. – Putting the smiles on kids faces by giving them piggy back rides.

Terry A. – Being part of this group, and pushing the edge of my comfort zone.

Kirsten S. – Looking at the stars last night from the roof on the Nest. Going on the fruit picking adventure with Terry and some of the kids…and finally getting to know some of the kids yesterday.

Madeline Y. – Getting to hear Glaston sing last night. It was as though he was singing directly to God.

Emily C. – Meeting so many new people, kids and being in a totally different culture. Also, it has made me so thankful for all that I have.

Courtney O. – VBS. Even though it was utter chaos, the fact that we were spreading the word of God to so many kids was so cool.

Megan N. – Meeting all of the kids and watching Tulroy develop from kicking and fighting, and then being calm with Lisa…and then when more people loved him, there were more and more people that could calm him down.

Marissa T. – Just being here in general; I’ve never been out of the country before.

Susan S. – Connecting with a lot of kids. I got to know a lot of them and when I left there were a lot of people that I had to say good-bye to.

Alice Z. – When Mr. T (an infant) spit up all over Nicole. And, one time I was feeding the cheetos to kids and a kid lied to me about not getting any yet. I told her, you don’t have to lie to get food…I’ll give more to you. She looked at me like “really?”

Nicole L. – That we were able to give these kids food for the day.

Jacqui O. – Seeing all the kids so excited when they were starting to get their t-shirts and the other craft goodies they got to take home every day. You could see how excited they were.

Amber M. – Getting to know all of the kids.

Samantha S. – The day after we made the t-shirts, all of the Robin’s Nest kids were wearing the them. They all came up to me and said, “Hey, we’re the same now.”

Gretchen S. – Meeting all of the kids, and speaking with some of the adults, and getting to know the whole group.

Abby S. – Seeing the kids and their big smiles everyday.

Karen S. – To watch all of the teenagers (teenagers are scary people for adults). Not one of you complained anytime I asked you to do the most disgusting job. I have real hope for our future. I was getting sad about our world…and so I say thank you to all of you for giving me hope again.

Megan S. – The singing of the littlest kids. They all knew the songs and the prayers.

Emily L. – Orlando and I walked back together yesterday. He was on my shoulders and the whole way back we sang “Sanctuary together.

Katie N. – Being able to come back and see how much the Nest has changed since we were here last here. They have done so much.

Jason B-W – Yesterday afternoon when 2 community boys came back to the school and I talked to them for about 20 minutes. When asked about what they had enjoyed this week their response was, “Learning about Jesus.” And, to see you guys let God work through you this week was just phenomenal. You guys are really, really special.

Lisa – Thinking today about all of all the people that made this VBS and trip happen. I looked at the kids with their Bible Buddies and thought of the VBS children from Zumbro that brought in money to buy them for these children. I thought of the Zumbro VBS volunteers that led at our VBS, and then went above and beyond to prepare everything for our trip. And all of the Zumbro quilters that sent quilts for all of the children. And all of the people that bought stock…so many hands were involved in serving these children…way more than just the 27 people that actually came on the trip.

Bob – The boys often sat on my shoulders, and when no music was playing I would hear them quietly singing, “I am not forgotten, I am not forgotten.” And, yesterday I spent an hour-and-a-half life guarding the boys in the pool at the Nest. It was great…really a private time with me and them…to just watch them be boys.

Sue J. – I had the opportunity to work with several of these kids while here. I got to know their awful stories and have some hard conversations, but at the end of the morning today one of the boys specifically sought me out to give me a hug.

Do I really have it that bad?

This week has been... a whole lot of things. Fun, memorable, but mostly exhausting. It's been the most work I've probably ever done in a week in my whole life. But it's been so worth it. There was one moment that hit me in particular, and it happened yesterday at VBS. Every day I always wake up and something comes to my mind, and yesterday the first thing I was thinking of was, "Oh my gosh I miss my bed... Oh my gosh I want my mom... Oh my gosh I miss my phone!" So it's safe to say I started out the day in the completely wrong mind set. Then we got to VBS and I was irritated with all the kids piling all over my sore, tired body. I got up and went to sit on the side of the room and a girl named Tyra asked me if she could play with my hair-of course I said yes. Now my idea of playing with hair was not the same as hers-boy was that painful! She braided, and re-braided, and re-braided again to the point that my head was throbbing. But we began having good conversation. I asked her if she was enjoying VBS and she started telling me about her home life. She was enjoying VBS because it was a three hour break from being at home having to take care of 15 people living in a house the size of a bedroom. She told me braiding hair is her favorite thing to do, even if it's her own, because it helps her to escape from reality. She then proceeded to ask me questions about what it's like to live in the United States, and I answered. At this point my heart was aching for this sweet innocent girl, and then she told me that it's her dream to one day get an education. That is her dream, and that is something that SO many people in the United States, and probably all around the world take for granted. She wants an education, so that she can find a job in the United States and give her family a better life. I need to remember just how good I have things. When I wake up cranky and missing my big bed and my phone, I need to remember how lucky I am. We all should be thankful for the things we have, and remember that we could be living off of a lot less. We must not take anything for granted. Katie N.

a powerful last day of vbs

I’ve done a lot of crazy things on mission trips before, and I tend to get the rest of the group to follow me…but this, this is the craziest thing I have ever said, “Sure, our group will do that!” to. Today was our last day of Vacation Bible School at the Salter’s Hill School. As we neared the end of the morning, Pastor Jason and I collapsed down next to each other on the cement floor of the classroom. We heard the kids singing the words to songs about God’s great big love, we watched our high school students blessing the young, Jamaican children, and we were surrounded by our teammates passing out sandwiches and oranges and juice. And as the two of us sat back and took it all in, we looked at each other on the cement floor with hot, sweaty Jamaican children crawling all over our laps, and we cried. Our team of 27 worked as hard this week as I’ve seen any other team work before. And we did it. We accomplished our goal…this week we told at least 86 children that God loves them. We fed their hearts with God’s promises and their tummies with food.

Several powerful things happened today. For one, we finally figured out just how to manage all 86 of those children by the last day! As Jason pointed out, we let go of a lot of our organization, while they met us in the middle by going along with a little bit of our structure, and we worked it out together. The moments of peacefulness just might have outnumbered the moments of chaos today. Well, that might be an exaggeration…but it was at least a little bit calmer!

Another powerful moment came when I took some time out to visit with one of the Jamaican mothers that had been accompanying her two young children all week. She shared with me that her kids loved coming every morning, and then she thanked me. “Thank you for coming and doing this for our kids,” she told me. “They all love it,” she said, and then she pointed out to the schoolyard full of kids playing soccer. “Look at the smiles on their faces. They love it.”

When we finally sent all of the kids home, cleaned up, and turned the lights out on the classroom, we boarded a bus to take us to our shuttle to Negril. We’d been on the bus for a long time when we saw a group of the kids from the community that had come to Vacation Bible School all week. We were miles away from the school by this point. When we joined up with the second half of our group, they told us that they had given them a ride down the hill. It was then that they learned that this group of kids had been walking 2 hours each way to come to Vacation Bible School that week. Wow. How powerful. We’ve been on those roads each day and know that it was not an easy 2 hour hike that these kids repeatedly made.

I write now as we’re on a shuttle bus to the Grand Pineapple Resort in Negril. It’s a scenic hour-and-a-half drive around the island from Montego Bay to Negril. Tonight we will relax (and shower)! But tomorrow…we’re back to playing with kids again. J I’ve lined up our group to put on a fun day for about 40 or so children in the Negril area. We’re not at all sure what we’re in for…but we’ll let ya know.

Thanks for reading our blog. It’s fun to be able to bring you along with us as we see God’s beautiful country and use our hands to do God’s work. Blessings to you from Jamaica… mama lisa

Here's a few images from VBS Day 3.

Delano was so proud of the picture he colored. Every day the kids have a Bible Friend to color. They enjoy that almost as much as the real craft project for the day.

Yesterday the older girls at VBS took hold of almost all of our girls so that they could serve them. Between the workers at the Nest and the older girls at VBS, most of our girls have now gotten their hair braided.

The kids love the VBS music. We spend almost a half hour just singing as the kids arrive each morning. At the end of every song the kids rush to the screen so that they can point out the song they want to sing next. Their favorite song -- "I am Not Forgotten."

We brought a large, white bed sheet for our screen. With the heat and humidity, we have to tape it back up several times a morning. Actually, when we arrive every morning all of our decorations are back on the ground...and then we redo it every day.

Pray that we all come up with enough energy to show and tell the 86 kids today how much God loves them!

Busy, Busy Day!

Wow! Yesterday was packed full with things to do! First off we went back to VBS…and this time we had another new strategy. (We seem to be trying new things every day!) It was to separate the kids into groups by sizes and ages. The first couple of days we had them doing all the things together, but when you all of a sudden have 86 kids and one small room it doesn’t exactly work that way. Separating them that way really helped a lot. However on the way back to the Nest all the kids wanted a ride…that means carrying 50+ pound kids at least a half a mile, most of it uphill. I am in school sports and none of my track and cross country work outs can even compare. I have never been more exhausted in my life!

Despite all the hard work we have put into playing with and entertaining the Nest kids AND the community kids, it really pays off. The kids are all so adorable and really appreciate all the time we spend with them.

Finally after VBS its rest time…for everyone, Nest kids and Zumbro kids, and goodness, do we ever need that rest time! But it doesn’t last long. Miss Vicki, one of the board members and substitute directors, planned what we would call a carnival…there were three legged races, water balloon tosses and so much more. To follow the carnival, Miss Vicki had us make cake and ice cream. It was so different, but still so enjoyable!

These past four days I have really bonded with all the kids. They all have so much love and joy to offer and I think it will be hard for all of us to leave.

Courtney O.

Thank you for feeding these children...

Ever wonder how all of those fundraising dollars are spent that our youth work hard at raising all year long? Much of the money goes to help support the individual trip costs of our own youth that are trying to afford these mission trips, but some of the money every year is also used to serve others in the communities in which we are travelling. As you may already know, we've been putting on a Vacation Bible School for the kids around the community. We know the stories of the kids at Robin's Nest that are coming with us to VBS, but we don't know much about the children that are coming from the community. We can assume, however, that living in this part of the countryside that they likely aren't getting fed enough to nourish and sustain their growing bodies. I believe strongly that we can't tell kids that God loves them and then send them home hungry. So, I made the commitment that we would feed these children lunch as a part of our Vacation Bible School. The flyers that we made to be passed around the island before our arrival said that there would be free lunch for all of the children that came. And they came.

Here's lunchtime on day 2. Every kid gets fed a sandwich, fruit, chips and juice. If there are any leftover our team will eat with them. Otherwise, we'll come back to the apartment and make some additional sandwiches.

I'm not sure how often these kids get juice. Can you see Marissa with the jug of juice...and all of the kids holding up their cups for more?

After lunchtime we had some oranges leftover. These six children had a race to finish off the pan of them. I'm not so sure I've seen smiles so big before!

Thank you, to every single one of you that took stock in our youth by purchasing shares of youth stock. Your giving makes a difference. Your giving has helped to feed many, many children this week...and in doing so tell these children just how much God loves them. Thank you.

I saw God today...

Most evenings when we gather for devotions we try to center ourselves by sharing where we saw God during the day. Here's the responses from our group this evening.

I saw God today...

…in June, the woman that did all the girls’ hair, because she took time out of her day to do all of that for our girls…and she was enjoying spending time with them and having conversation. –Katie N.

…in all the kids that were listening really well at VBS. (“both of them,” chimed in Terry). –Susan S.

…in Tamana. I was getting frustrated with many of the kids. They weren’t listening and it was such chaos, and then she made me a little colored picture and gave it to me. It was very cool to connect with a little girl in a calm moment amidst the chaos. –Courtney O.

…Nic and I saw God in the pool today. We finally decided to take a dip and it was quite relaxing. –Alex O.

…in Lou today. I told him, “Be an example. Lead these children.” And he just did it. He was watching out for his brothers. It was just cool. –Terry A.

…that is where I saw the God, too. They were excited in helping to pick the fruit for all of the boys in Jake’s house. They were so polite, asking permission to do it, and took such pride in what they were doing. –Kirsten S.

…in Lisa when she calmed Tulroy down. He was going crazy and she calmed him down. –Megan N.

…I saw God in Sun today. We were playing jumprope. I think I jumped thirty times or so and he had it set in his mind that he would jump more. He had so much self-motivation for someone who has almost nothing. The whole time he was jumping he kept saying to himself, “I can do this, I can do this.” –Samantha S.

…in the 3 year olds they asked me to spend some time with. I made a safe place for this child to play called a “holding environment.” Then kids play out whatever is on their mind. It reminded me of how God has us in a safe, holding environment just like that. And that powerful force that is inside of kids to work things out and become who they are going to be. –Sue J.

…In the sandwich girls. They make great sandwiches! --Karen S.

…when the music was playing, “I am not forgotten, I am not forgotten…”’ These people could think they are forgotten, but to hear us singing this with the kids... We are doing a real mission here. –Bob J.

…despite the absolute chaos of the day, I was thinking about Genesis 1. God created something good out of chaos in the creation story. And today, God used us to create something good out of utter chaos. –Pastor Jason

…while we were on our way to the school this morning Lisa said, “I don’t know how God is going to make t-shirts out of nothing…but it’ll happen.” And for a minute there, it seemed to happen. –Kirsten S.

…this morning on our car ride to VBS with Vicki. That was WAY better than an amusement park ride! --Megan S.

Lizards, Cockroaches, and Beautiful Children

We have been at Robin’s Nest for three days now. We have had two lizards in our room…several are still currently residing there. We have also had cockroaches in suitcases and on walls in bathrooms. All the children here are absolutely amazing and beautiful. You can’t help but wonder about their stories and how they ended up in the Nest. I always wonder if it’s hard on the kids to have so many people coming in and out of their lives every week. You get so attached to the children; it will be so hard to leave. While at VBS we have experienced kids from the Nest and kids from the community. They act out and it makes you wonder if they act out because of what they have seen and experienced. Lisa had a magical moment with a little boy from the Nest who was acting out. He was kicking and fighting and punching. Lisa took him, and told him “look at your hands, God made these hands”. They then prayed for a very long time. As they prayed Lisa said she could almost feel the tension leave his body. He has only been at the Nest for about a week we were told and they don’t really know his story yet. This has been an amazing experience and I don’t think any of us will want to leave.

Megan N.

There's a gecko (not a geico) in my bed.

As I'm up here blogging, Madeline Y. and Emily C. came upstairs to tell me they had some bad news. "Lisa, there's a gecko in our room. But it crawled into your bed and we can't get it out." Ugh. I can handle a lot of things, but I don't like snakes or lizard-like creatures...and I especially don't like them in my bed! I told them to take my bed apart until they found it. Oh boy...time for devotions. I'm going to pray that I don't have any friends with me tonight! :)

A Note from Marissa T.

Today was our first full day in Jamaica. To start it off we got up and went for a lovely walk on a road that appeared to once have been all blacktop, but wasn’t exactly anymore. The walk was not only downhill but up, too. After we reached the school we started setting up for the Vacation Bible School. We really had an amazing turn out. Not only did the kids from Robin’s Nest show up, but in addition to them almost 50 kids from the surrounding community joined us. The kids instantly found someone to cling to. I must say, being one with two younger sisters and dealing with them not leaving me alone, it was slightly overwhelming to have so many kids running around and sticking to you. I definitely saw God in them. Their smiles kept me going and I believe others could say that as well. It began raining during VBS and afterwards too. I never thought I would say I was so happy to hear and see the rain!

On the way back a kid handed me a ginup so I tried it. It was so good! After this he proceeded to hand me what I thought was milkweed. He tried to convince me to eat. That God I didn’t as it was Novocain. Being a pre-pharm student it taught me what it looked like and where to get some. Oh, the things you learn while in Jamaica!

Something else that surprised me is how the sunsets are absolutely amazing. It gets dark around 8pm. I had the chance to climb up on the roof of Robin’s Nest and witness it. Very breath-taking.

At VBS we sang a couple songs called “God is Wild About You” and “Not Forgotten.” I believe that not only did the songs get, yet again, stuck in my head, but that God got the message across. That is a message all of us should hear. God loves each and everyone of us and knows us by name. When times get hard it may seem like he has forgotten us, but in reality he hasn’t. No matter what is going on in your life personally, I hope you know that!

Lovin' these Jamaican Babies

Samantha S. was in the right spot at the right time this morning when she woke up early...because when you wake up early at the Nest there are always babies to feed.

Emily L. found a new little friend, too.

In Marissa T.'s post you can read about the kids that crawl all over us. Here's one of 'em.

During quiet time, Susan S. read a few books to some of the boys.

Our Venture up to the Nest

Compared to previous years when we we've had our luggage piled high atop a pick-up truck and ourselves piled on top of each other in a fifteen passenger van, this year's transportation certainly seemed luxurious -- we had a bus for our luggage and a bus for all of us! Nevertheless, the sights on the way up to the Nest were still eye-opening and beautiful all at the same time.

We're here!

Just a quick note to let all of you know that we arrived about 24 hours ago and we're safe and sound at Robin's Nest in Montego Bay. Yesterday was a loooooooooong day for everyone. Upon our arrival we took a quick tour, moved into our sleeping rooms (ALL are air conditioned) and then we continued with our preparations for Pandamania Vacation Bible School. VBS Day 1 is over and now the group is waiting for me to debrief with them in the next room. We'll write much more later as time and internet connection allow, but what comes to my mind continually is Jesus and the loaves and fishes. We prayed for children from the community to come to our VBS...and boy did they come! And then they kept coming! There must have been close to 75 young, beautiful, ENERGETIC Jamaican children that joined us today to learn that God is WILD about them. After an amazing morning of crafting, playing, singing, and dancing we fed the children lunch -- sandwiches, oranges, chips and juice. All left fed with food in their bellies and the love of Jesus in their hearts. It was an amazing morning. More later...
lisa

We're getting closer...

We started in the Zumbro parking lot at 2:15am and are now standing in line to board our final flight from Atlanta to Montego Bay. Our short time between flights to connect was more than sufficient. And one of our fabulous chaperones received 2 upgrades to first class and gave them to Jason and I. So the real question is...will we work on VBS planning or will we catch up on lost sleep from the U2 concert?!? The next time you hear from us we'll be on Jamaican soil!  lisa

departure: EARLY sunday morning

This Sunday 21 high school students and 6 adults will be departing for Jamaica! We'll be serving at Robin's Nest Children's Home, a wonderful orphanage in Montego Bay, Jamaica. This will be the third time a Zumbro group visits Robin's Nest. Read more about their fabulous ministry here. We will be putting on a Vacation Bible School for the children of Robin's Nest and the surrounding community. Check back often to read about our experiences...and please keep our group in your prayers.